Always a Chaser
by Lkay09
Summary: Oliver and Katie meet again years after Hogwarts.  Katie looks different, and Oliver is curious about her tattoo.  One-shot.  My first KB/OW! R&R, please be nice!


**Go easy on me...this is my first Katie/Oliver story. Enjoy! :)**

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"Oliver? Oliver Wood?"

Oliver looked at the woman standing in front of him – the _gorgeous _woman, a voice in the back of his head snickered – and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He had no idea who this person was. And apparently he wasn't very good at hiding that.

The woman arched her eyebrow and brought one hand up to rest on her hip. The gestures tugged at something in Oliver's memory, from his years at Hogwarts, but before he could really figure it out, she sighed and smiled gently.

"Katie."

His eyes widened and he looked her up and down. There was no way, _no way_, that this person was Katie Bell, the somewhat awkward tomboy from his old Quidditch team. That girl, who had only been a fourth year when he graduated, had never worn anything but jeans and sneakers and never had her hair in anything but a ponytail. This girl, on the other hand, was wearing a black halter dress and sleek silver heels, and her dark hair was pinned back and fell in long, loose curls.

Katie laughed at his shocked expression. Honestly, she wasn't surprised he hadn't recognized her – hardly anyone did anymore. She looked almost completely different from when she was at Hogwarts.

"Umm…wow…well…how've you been?" Oliver stuttered.

"Can't complain," Katie replied, lifting one tan shoulder in a shrug. "Yourself? Last I heard of you, you were playing for Puddlemere United."

He swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm still there, only I'm their starting Keeper instead of just a reserve."

"That's good."

They stood there silently for a moment longer, Oliver still looking at her dazedly. Katie couldn't help but be pleased – all she had wanted back at school had been for him to notice her as something other than a talented Chaser. By the time she had finally turned into a babe, as Angelina constantly called her now, Oliver had long since graduated.

"Katie!" Alicia called to her, waving her over to where a group of people seemed to be leaving. Katie was relieved – this Ministry function that she had been dragged along to by Alicia was dead boring. She turned back to Oliver and smiled, revealing white, perfectly even teeth.

"It was good to see you again Oliver. We should get together and catch up sometime, somewhere less dull, though." Oliver nodded, and she reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before turning and beginning to walk towards her friends. Her hair swung over one shoulder, giving Oliver a glimpse of black lettering in the middle of her back.

"Kates," he called after her, surprised at how easily her old nickname had slipped off his tongue. She stopped walking and looked at him over her shoulder. He walked quickly over to her and gestured towards her back. "What's that?"

She smiled again and replied, "It's called a tattoo, Wood. You know, ink etched into your skin?"

He rolled his eyes and, his fingers seeming to act of their own accord, brushed the rest of her hair away from her back so he could see it more clearly.

"_Always a Chaser_," he muttered, reading the elegant script. He could see the beginnings of a design below that, but as he made to move the back of her dress down a few centimeters, Katie reached around and grabbed his hand, tugging it away from her back.

"Sorry Wood," she said sweetly. "You have to earn the right to see the rest of it."

He dropped his arm, taking her hand with it and smirked. "Well then, how about a game of Quidditch tomorrow? I'll take you to the Puddlemere practice stadium." Katie's eyes widened and she nodded. He dropped her hand and watched her join her friends, smiling reminiscently when Alicia instantly leaned over and began talking animatedly, no doubt asking what their conversation was about.

True to his word, he Apparated to her flat the next morning at around ten and then used Side-Along Apparition to take her back with him.

"Got a broom I can borrow?" She asked. He nodded and led her to the broom shed on the side of the pitch. Her eyes widened at the array of racing brooms before her before selecting a Firebolt 210. It had come out about two years ago, and while it wasn't as fast as some other brooms, she was more comfortable on it than she was on some of the newer models. Oliver arched his eyebrow at her choice but didn't say a word.

"You have clothes to change into right?" He eyed the jeans she was wearing, and while they made her arse look fantastic, they were hardly good for playing Quidditch in. Katie nodded. "The locker rooms are over there – I'll wait till you're done." Oliver pointed towards a set of double doors, and Katie tossed him the Firebolt before grabbing her bag and heading that way. Once she had disappeared, he scrubbed a hand over his face and began walking in the opposite direction. His broom was on the side of the pitch, and since he was already in practice gear – though not nearly as much as he usually wore since this was just a fun, relaxed game – he went ahead and mounted and began flying lazily around the pitch, musing over his feelings towards Katie.

Oliver was attracted to her, that much he could admit to. But the rest…well, that was more complicated. At school, when she had looked like a tomboy, she had just been a good friend and member of his team. He felt slightly bad for only _really_ noticing her now that she was gorgeous, but he also knew it went deeper than that. Katie had been the one to pull him out of his post-loss depression a few times, and she had always been the most supportive about his obsession with and need for Quidditch.

Maybe he liked her – was that such a bad thing? Oliver was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason, so maybe this was why he had bumped into her last night, at the Ministry of all places – maybe there was something here that he should pursue.

She managed to beat him, scoring at least twenty goals – if his coach had seen, he'd have been put back on reserve – but it was bloody difficult to concentrate when Katie was zooming around in short black shorts and a tank top. Her legs were long and lean and tan and _amazing_.

Katie flew in a slow circle around him and the hoops, and he watched, fascinated by her movements. Though he knew she hadn't played any serious Quidditch in the five or so years since she'd left Hogwarts, her skills were still superb.

She hovered in front of him.

"Have I earned the right yet?" He couldn't help but ask. She shook her head with a smile. Carefully, he nudged his broom closer to hers and leaned forward so that his face was inches from hers. She began to blush, and bit her lip, still smiling gently.

"How about now?" he asked softly before leaning forward and brushing his lips over hers. He could feel Katie smiling into the kiss, and one of her hands came up and threaded through his hair.

Somehow, they made their way to the ground, setting their brooms down gently before Oliver tugged Katie back to him and kissed her again, slightly harder and more insistent this time. Her arms wound themselves around his waist, and Oliver slowly reached up his sleeve and tugged out his wand. One arm wrapped itself tightly around her and, never breaking the kiss, he turned them slowly on the spot and Apparated them to his flat.

He traced his finger lightly over the words and the design on Katie's back, illuminated by the moonlight filtering in through his window.

_Always a Chaser…Never a Keeper_ the words read, and Oliver mulled over them, trying to figure out what they might mean. In the middle of the words was an intricate design of a Quaffle and a hoop. His fingers ghosted over the words again, and he felt Katie stir. She rolled over onto her other side, now facing him, and he smiled at the adorable half-awake, half-asleep look on her face.

"You still awake?" she murmured, almost incoherently.

"Yeah," he replied softly. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and peered up at him.

"Do you want me to go?" Katie made to sit up, but Oliver placed a hand on her hip and tugged her back down, pulling her closer to him.

"No," he said insistently. His hand automatically moved to her back and began drawing circles slowly.

"What does it mean?" he asked curiously after a few moments. Katie rolled onto her back and appeared to think for a moment.

"Well," she began slowly, trying to figure out how to phrase it, "it's partly to do with Quidditch, with my actual position. But it has more to do with my love life." Oliver's brows furrowed in confusion. "You see," she continued, "guys never used to be interested in me. I always had the unrequited crush, or I was the one pursuing, _chasing_, them, never the other way around." She gave him a pointed look, and he buried his head in the crook of her neck to avoid her gaze. One of her hands came up and she absentmindedly began stroking his head. He pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone and waited for her to continue.

"Anyway," she went on, "once I started looking and acting more like a girl, guys were all over me. Except now, they only really wanted one thing. As soon as they get it, they're gone. Do you understand it now?"

Oliver sat up slightly, propping himself on one elbow and looking down at her. She was fiddling with a thread on his sheets, not meeting his gaze.

"Hey," he said softly, cupping a hand under her chin and making her look at him, "that's not what this is, I promise. I know it might seem like it since this happened only a day after we met again after about seven or eight years, but I genuinely care about you, Kates. I have feelings for you because of who you are, not just how you look. The fact that we already shagged is just a...bonus, if you will."

Katie bit her lip. "Are you sure?" Oliver nodded solemnly. "Good, because while it only stung slightly with other guys…it would really hurt with you."

He sighed and lay back down, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her towards him so her head was on his chest. One of her legs snaked in between his and they lay there like that in silence for a few moments.

"Katie?" he asked softly, not wanting to disturb her if she had gone back to sleep.

"Hmm?"

Oliver ran a finger over the last few words of her tattoo – _Never a Keeper_ – and smiled, whispering, "I'll keep you." He felt rather than saw Katie's own smile at his words, and she pressed a kiss to his chest before closing her eyes.

"Guess I'll have to get my tattoo changed then."

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**Well? What did you think? I know her tattoo may have seemed weird, but I found it appropriate here. _I_ would never get one like that - although it is tempting to get one that says _Bite Me_ (and not in a vampiric sense either) - but I know how she feels. Somewhat.**

**Anyway! Please don't favorite without a review! I would really appreciate it!**


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